Under A Tree
by Maeve Forest Sage
Summary: The team are trying to find what is missing, what will complete the puzzle of their lives. But the last piece can either make or break them.
1. Prologue

Authors Note: First fic ever, kind of anyways. I'm not that good at being an authoress so please excuse the, err I dunno… raw-ness. Not exactly sure what it's about so bear with me. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7 or anything to do with it really.

Alone in the trees sat a squirrel. It was chewing on an acorn, nut, whatever you wanted to call it. below it, on the branch it was perched, were many dots. At least, they looked like dots until one came close enough to see that they were not dots but white ants. And below the branch with squirrel and termites, lay a girl…


	2. Copy Cats

Authors Note: I wasn't too sure on what I was going to write in this but nevertheless.

Disclaimer: I own the girl under the tree… maybe. I don't own anything else.

Spiky blonde hair bobbed up and down on the surface of the sea. A hollow plastic stick protruded beside it.

"See anything Cloud?" a busty brunette by the name of Tifa enquired of the pointy object floating in the sea. Cloud surfaced and held out a shiny materia orb.

"She has come this way," the swordsman announced. The pair made their way back to the shore of Costa Del Sol.

"So who the #$ are we looking for again?" the pilot leaning against the wall asked of his blonde leader.

Cloud looked annoyed. "Yuffie," he grumbled under his breath.

Alongside Cid the pilot, leaning against the wall, were two black men. Or rather, one man dressed in black and the other with skin of a blackish hue, although not quite black. Vincent, the one in black stood in the middle. He wasn't one to clamour for attention. No, he was in the middle because two loud men had decided to go either side of him. The man with skin of dark stood on the other side of the stoic gunslinger, arms folded across his chest. Barret and Cid were trying their best to be like Vincent, even going as far as to wear long red capes (Cid's was a tablecloth, a gift from someone on his and Shera's wedding day) and yellow dishwashing gloves in place of the prosthetic arm.

"Any idea where she could have gone?" Red questioned.

"We have a theory. She may have gone…" he paused, "to Gold Saucer."


	3. Chocolate?

Author's Note: Yay! A longer chapter and I still don't really know what this is about. Plot starts slightly. You're probably wondering where the girl from the prologue fits in, well, so am I. I still think it sucks a fair bit, so let me know what you think.

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the things that I said I owned before previously and it would've saved a lot of time if I had just typed- "I don't own anything except the girl under the tree and me." 

"Chocolate?" Yuffie stared at the box in her freezer. "Noooooooooooooooo!"

For the past month or so, Yuffie had been running around frantically trying to find some chocolate. Of course, she couldn't find some. Not at home, not in the stores, not anywhere. The chocolate sold in shops had gradually dwindled until there was only a one bar left, and even that had gone within the minute.

"Must…find…chocolate," she whispered as she looked under each of her chairs, beds, futons and tables. Her search had been thorough and not a single piece of chocolate found. Unless you count the age old chocolate that had been left open lying around and was infested with rabies… at least she thought they were rabies, there was absolutely no chocolate.

Yuffie ran out of her house and into the street and she kept running. She saw buildings and skyscrapers and roads and people. 'Just run,' she thought. 'Run, run, run,' was her mantra.

Her legs began to tire out so she slowed down. It wasn't until she had finally collected her breath that she realised she was no longer in Midgar, she was in Kalm She was shocked by how far she had run.

---- Flashback----

"_If you come to Kalm again, be sure to visit us," Tifa said with a wink. _

"_Sure thing Teef" Yuffie said happily. She was so ecstatic now that Cloud had finally proposed to Tifa. All of AVALANCHE turned up to see the wedding and everyone had tears in their eyes, well, almost everyone. Cid and Barret had a hard time suppressing their laughter but when it was finally over they had given Cloud a slap on the back each and joked about it all the way to the bar where the catering was being held. Vincent of course just stayed his stoic self, offered his congratulations, stayed at the bar for a bit then left when the dancing started. Cloud had joked that the group should try and match-make Vincent with someone. Cid offered his grandma and Shera had hit him on the head. _

----End of Flashback----

"Hehe," Yuffie chuckled. "Good times. Wellp, time to find that bar." She took off and searched for the building. Her senses picked out a gathering congregated around a wooden structure. Eyes widening, she crept forward, trying not to be noticed by the mob of citizens.

* * *

Tifa looked out of the window and saw a figure clad in colourful garments quite unlike the other protestors. Getting up, she moved to the window a few meters away, which would grant her a better look. She gasped.

"Cloud," she whisper-screamed. The spiky headed swordsman came over to her. "Look," Tifa pointed at the multi-coloured speck moving through the crowd. "It's Yuffie. Maybe she didn't go to Gold Saucer. Or she did and came back."

Cloud nodded his head slightly in agreement. "But where has she been hiding." He pondered. The couple sat in silent contemplation.

* * *

'Why are all these people out here?' Yuffie thought frustrated. 'Why don't they go inside, or go home.'

When she finally made it through the din, the people around her were silenced. With a great amount of will she lifted her hand and banged it against the wooden panel her friend used for a door. A blonde barbed head poked around the curtain on the window nearest her and she fought the mad urge to giggle hysterically.

* * *

Seeing the ninja's hand knock on their door had shocked them. It was them looking for her not the other way around. Cloud checked to see if it really was Yuffie come knocking. A quick look through the window was all that he needed to confirm it was their ninja friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs, the other members of AVALANCHE rested. Cait Sith had pulled out a deck of cards and was playing Solitaire as everyone else was in dreamland. A snort from Barret gave Cait the disturbing thought that Barret was a pig in his dream. Turning back to his cards he spotted a glimpse of reddish light. He jumped, thinking that Vincent was awake. Taking another look he saw only darkness. Beside the window where the sun shone through holes in the curtain was an empty bed. 'I wonder where Cloud has got to,' he pondered. After deciding that their leader had insomnia and went for a walk he continued playing.

* * *

"How have you been?" a delighted Tifa greeted Yuffie and embraced her in a hug.

"I've been better," she replied.

"We missed you so much!" After many hugs, kisses and questions, most of which were on Tifa's behalf came an awkward silence. Yuffie's eyes darted from Tifa to Cloud and back again repeatedly before grinning happily.

"So… How have you been?"


	4. What do you mean

A/N: I just finished cleaning my fish tank… eww fish poop, anyway. I just HAD to add in some fishy goodness.  Romance? Do you think I should have romance or no? I 'm sorry, I know it's been so long since I updated and I'm really sorry. My computer was on the blink for a while but I fixed it. This was meant to be up two days ago, stupid computer.

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Disclaimer: I, Vivi do not own ff7 yada yada ya! Yah, you get the point.

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"I'm serious! That's what we did… Yuffie, put that down," Cloud was having major trouble keeping the young ninja out of trouble and relating their story to her.

Yuffie was acting like an eight year old (according to a test I took I act that age :P) and her curiosity was getting the better of her. She giggled when she saw the fish tank. Four gold fish, a black fish with puffy eyes that stuck out on the sides of its head, two white/multicoloured fish, and a red fish with black tinges over its scaly body.

"ooh," Yuffie cooed. "Can I name them?" she never gave Cloud a chance to answer as her finger was waving in all directions and her mouth opening and closing. "I call this one Barrett… he reminds me of Barrett," her finger hovered above the space where the black puffy-eyed fish swam. "And this one…" she pointed to the red and black fish who was in the corner, almost out of sight (believe me, once I thought it had died because it was so still!), drifting peacefully. "Vincent," she said softly. 'Hehe, it acts like Vinnie too.' She stood up, her eyes still locked on the fish when she turned around.

"AHHH!" she jumped back and almost knocked over the fish tank. "Vinnie!" taking a deep breath she continued. "I…" her voice sounded almost dreamy.

Cloud had been watching Yuffie's progress around the room. From the bar, to the curtains, to the fish tank then onto the silent gunslinger. 'Wait a minute, silent gunslinger?' He looked back to the space where Vincent had been standing. A confused look crossed his face, where did they go? He sighed and he turned his head down, and almost instantly straight up. That sight would remain imbedded in his memory forever more. Sighing seemed to be common in this place for another passed through his mouth. Looking down, he couldn't see then once more, but out of the corner of his eye he saw them. Kissing as though their lives depended on it.

"Cloud…" a sweet voice called out. 'So pure and simple. This person should not have to be burdened with… wait a minute, I'm sounding like Vincent now.'

Glazed eyes focused on the scene in front of him. 'Were they lovers? No, they couldn't be. They would've told me. Wouldn't they? Well, Vincent does keep his silences…' his thoughts trailed off. If eyes could widen more than his were at the scene that had claimed his now then they'd be pretty spectacular. The other two occupants of the room were stripping down to their undergarments. It was this that made Cloud do what he hadn't done in ages. He fell down and cried.

"CLOUD!" the shout made his head ache.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the light. "Oww… What happened?" a nervous chuckle reverberated from a corner of the room and glares were sent to the same corner.

"Well… you had an accident," Tifa began. "No! Not that kind of accident," she added when she saw his eyes dart down towards the end of his bed. "I mean…"

But she was cut off by Cid before she could finish. "She means to say that you had a f($& feinting fit when Vincent entered the room." Cloud didn't feel like widening his eyes but nevertheless it happened without his say so.

"Uhh, if you're implying that I'm gay…"

"No! Of course not! Well… it is kind of strange that it happened when he entered…"

"But he was already in the room!" a squeaky voice called out.

"Shut the f up brat. It yo' f&$ fault we in dis mess!"

"Barrett, I fear you are mistaken." A deep voice sounded. "Yuffie took no part…"

"YES!" cried out a slightly delusional voice. "YUFFIE DID! AND YOU VINCENT! HOW COULD YOU …"Cloud's sentence was never finished as his head had hit the pillow and his vocal cords produced snores. Sighs echoed throughout the room. A glance darted from Vincent to Yuffie and vice versa.

Yuffie felt sad and depressed, she had only arrived a day ago and already everyone was against her. She sighed as she saw Mr.Angsty himself, walking up to meet her.

"Hey Vinnie." Vincent nodded in reply and moved to sit on a bucket furthest away from Yuffie but her hand snaked out and pulled him onto her seat. "Oh no you don't mister. If you come to talk to "The Great Ninja Yuffie" then you must show some respect!"

"Yes… Respect," he replied. A rather awkward silence followed until Yuffie piped up.

"So… What didya come to me about?"

"…Cloud… what do you think he meant when he was awake?"

* * *

Enjoy! 


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